The common room was loud, laughing, talking, a rare moment where the Vanguard actually looked normal.
Then the alarms hit.
Sharp. Loud. Urgent.
Everything stopped.
For half a second, the room froze,
Then it exploded into motion.
Soldiers shot up from couches, gear grabbed mid-run, conversations cut off instantly. No confusion. No questions.
Caden was already moving.
"Hangar, now!" someone shouted, but it didn't need to be said.
They all knew.
The halls blurred as they sprinted through HQ, boots hitting the floor in sync with dozens of others rushing the same direction. Doors slid open, elevators filled and emptied in seconds.
By the time Caden hit the hangar,
It was alive.
Engines roaring. Ships powering up. Support crews running between vehicles, loading weapons, checking systems. Pilots shouting over comms. Soldiers climbing into transports without hesitation.
Then Ian's voice cut through everything over the intercom.
"Get on the nearest ship, Lumina Crest is under attack."
That was all the briefing they needed.
Caden didn't slow.
He grabbed his gear, locked it in place, and sprinted up the nearest ramp alongside a group of Vanguard members. No assigned teams. No structured squads.
Just whoever gets there first goes.
The ship doors slammed shut behind them.
Engines flared.
And within seconds,
They launched.
Caden grabbed onto a side rail as the ship shot upward, the force pushing him back slightly. Around him, soldiers checked weapons, tightened straps, mentally switching from downtime to war.
The city of Lumina Crest was already burning by the time Caden hit the ground.
Neon lights flickered against smoke. Glass towers cracked. Streets that once felt calm and controlled were now filled with gunfire, screams, and the constant roar of demons pouring in from every direction.
Caden barely had time to take it in before his comm lit up.
Rendezvous point marked.
He sprinted.
When he arrived, the air shifted.
The Vanguard was already there.
Stark stood at the center, directing movements with sharp precision. Steel beside him, scanning the battlefield like a commander who'd already seen how this would play out.
"Ian and Optimus are already deployed," Stark said as Caden stepped in. "We end this fast. Lock down the city, push them back, and secure every block."
Steel added, "Guardians and local law enforcement are buying us time. STF reinforcements are inbound."
Then,
"Move."
The Vanguard split instantly.
Not chaos.
Not confusion.
Just… execution.
Caden broke off toward a perimeter zone, helping direct civilians out of the streets. Guardians were already there, forming evacuation lines, keeping people moving.
"Keep going! Don't stop!" Caden called out, guiding a group toward an exit route.
Then,
A shadow dropped from above.
A massive brute demon slammed toward him.
Caden barely reacted,
A flash of blue.
Optimus.
The demon split clean in half mid-air.
Optimus didn't even look back. He kept moving, already cutting into another wave.
Caden froze for half a second.
"…They really don't stop."
Everywhere he looked,
The Vanguard was moving like one unit.
Voltron tore through demons like a machine, each step crushing resistance. Ice King locked down entire streets with walls of ice, creating safe corridors for evacuation.
The Lion moved across rooftops, leaping building to building, dropping demons with pure force, no weapons, just raw Kia and precision strikes.
Blue Blaze stood at a choke point, holding back a wave of demons with controlled bursts of energy, keeping them from spilling deeper into the city.
Steel and Stark?
At the center.
Leading the fight. Holding the line.
Caden regrouped with a Guardian squad, helping move the last of the civilians out.
The city perimeter was slowly forming.
But the demons,
They weren't slowing down.
If anything…
There were more.
Caden looked out over the street, watching another wave push in through the smoke.
His grip tightened on his weapon.
"…This doesn't make sense."
He keyed his comm.
"This swarm, it's not thinning out. It's growing. Where are they coming from?"
There was a brief pause.
Then Ice King's voice came through, more serious than usual.
"…I was just about to say the same thing."
Another explosion rocked the street.
From above, Stark's voice cut in.
"Everyone, look east side skyline."
Caden turned.
In the distance,
A tear.
Not physical at first.
But then it widened.
A dark, pulsing distortion in the air between buildings… like reality itself was being forced open.